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Tuesday, May 5, 2015

WATER CRISIS IN AMERICA IS REAL, VERY REAL

I AM A 'TREE-HUGGER", I ADMIT, BUT I AM NOT A FANATICAL "NEVER HARM AN ANT" NUTCASE, OKAY?
I AM NOT A "CLIMATE ALARMIST".
I JUST WANT A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT...FOR ALL OF US.

MY WATER SUPPLY COMES FROM A NOT-SO-DEEP WELL ON MY PROPERTY, FROM ONE OF THE (ONCE) PUREST AQUIFERS IN THIS PART OF AMERICA.
I SHARE IT WITH THREE NEIGHBORS.
I AM ABOUT TO DECIDE NOT TO DO THAT ANYMORE.
WHY?
WHY WOULD I BE SO "MEAN"?
BECAUSE SOMETHING APPEARS TO BE GOING WRONG "DOWN THERE".

IT WILL TAKE QUITE AWHILE TO DETERMINE WHAT IS 'WRONG', BUT SOMETHING IS.
SHOULD ANY OF US CONTINUE USING THIS WELL?
I DON'T KNOW, BUT I WILL FIND OUT.

AND SOMETHING IS WRONG ALL ACROSS AMERICA.

I NEVER POST ANYTHING "IN-DEPTH" HERE THAT I HAVEN'T SPENT AT LEAST A WEEK OR MORE GATHERING FACTS AND INFORMATION ABOUT.
I'M NEVER, NEVER SATISFIED WITH WHAT I READ "IN THE PRESS".
I CALL A LOT OF PEOPLE AND OFTEN 'PISS THEM OFF' BECAUSE OF MY QUESTIONS.
I DIG UNTIL I'M SATISFIED THAT WHAT I FOUND IS AS FACTUAL AS IT CAN BE, MORE FACTUAL THAN THE "TRUSTED MAINSTREAM MEDIA".

I GUARANTEE YOU, WE ARE FACING A SERIOUS WATER CRISIS IN AMERICA.
THE THING IS...IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS WORSE THAN WE'RE BEING TOLD.
AGAIN.

I BELIEVE THAT ALL OF US DESERVE THE PUREST WATER, THE PUREST SOIL, THE PUREST AIR THAT WE CAN HAVE.
WHAT WE HAVE IS LESS THAN THAT, BUT TO SEE IT ALL STEADILY DECLINE IS NEVER GOING TO BE "OKAY" WITH ME.

LET ME SHOW YOU A FEW "MAPS" AND PHOTOS TO SHOW YOU WHAT IS BOTHERING ME, WHAT MAKES ME KNOW WE'RE IN TROUBLE AS FAR AS OUR WATER SUPPLIES GO.
IT'S NOT AS BAD WHERE I LIVE AS IT IS WHERE OTHERS OF YOU LIVE, SO I BEGIN WITH ONE OF THE WORST-HIT PLACES IN AMERICA.

TIME did an article about this back in 2010, said, "As it stands now, Lake Mead only has to drop a few more feet—to 1,075 ft—before a new water distribution system would kick in, reducing deliveries to Arizona and Nevada."

The lake was at 1,083.09 ft on Oct. 18, 2010.
LAST WEEK, IT WAS AT 1,079 FEET.

"When it is full, the reservoir, a few dozen miles from the Las Vegas Strip, reaches an elevation of more than 1,220 feet. But last week, Lake Mead broke records, falling to about 1,079 feet, lows not seen since the lake was created in the 1930s. The lake is at only 38 percent of its capacity, and officials warn that the water level will continue to fall throughout the summer, with projections showing an estimated elevation of 1,073 feet by September."

ANOTHER ARTICLE ASKED: "WITH LESS THAN A YEAR OF STORED WATER, WILL CALIFORNIANS CONSERVE NOW?"

IT ISN'T JUST CALIFORNIA...IT'S THE ENTIRE SOUTHWEST, AND THEN SOME.

HERE'S THE LATEST DROUGHT MAP I CAN FIND, APRIL, 2015.

"SEVERE drought (D2) was expanded from north-central Oregon into south-central Washington, and moderate drought (D1) was expanded across the Blue Mountains (Garfield and Asotin Counties) in the extreme southeast part of the state, where the few Snotel stations that are there, are snow-free. In northeastern Oregon, severe drought (D2) was expanded across Umatilla and northern Baker Counties.

Abnormal dryness (D0) was expanded to include the Oregon Coast, due to significant short-term precipitation deficits. Moderate drought (D1) was expanded westward across the western slopes of the Oregon Cascades, and much of the Willamette Valley. In south-central and southeastern Montana, abnormal dryness (D0) was modestly expanded to reflect the increasingly dry conditions.

Little if any precipitation fell across the state of California during the past 7-days, with the exception of moderate to locally heavy precipitation (0.5-3.0 inches) over north-central portions of the state, including the Sierras. The heavy precipitation will aid in green-up, but is expected to have very little impact on the long-term drought. No alterations were made this week to the California drought depiction."

A CLOSER LOOK AT STATES AFFECTED BY DROUGHT:

SOME RELIEF FOR SOME AREAS, ALWAYS WELCOME NEWS!

NASA HAS LONG BEEN WATCHING EARTH FROM ABOVE, REPORTING TO CONGRESS AND TO US WHAT THEY SEE.

JOHN-BOY BOEHNER AND TEDDYKINS CRUZ RECENTLY TOOK OFFENCE TO NASA ONCE AGAIN SHOWING PROOF OF SOME ALARMING CHANGES DOWN HERE ON EARTH AND NOW CONGRESS IS GOING TO DEFUND ABOUT $300 MILLION FROM NASA, IN HOPES THEY'LL "STOP PUSHING CLIMATE CHANGE" AND "STICK TO SPACE"....
TRUE, LOOK IT UP!

WELL, THANKS TO NASA WE KNOW THAT THE DROUGHT IS FAR FROM OVER AND WE CAN MAKE ALLOWANCES FOR THE WATER SHORTAGE.

BOEHNER CAN STILL GET HIS MERLOT FROM CALIFORNIA VINEYARDS, FOR NOW, AND CRUZ CAN STILL LOOK LIKE AN UNEDUCATED EGOMANIAC."NASA scientists studied past droughts and climate models incorporating soil moisture data to estimate future drought risk. According to NASA's study, "droughts in the U.S. Southwest and Central Plains during the last half of this century could be drier and longer than drought conditions seen in those regions in the last 1,000 years."Researchers from NASA and Cornell and Columbia universities warned of major water shortages and conditions that dry out vegetation, which can lead to monster wildfires in southern Arizona and parts of California."

(NASA Goddard via YouTube)IF YOU GO OVER TO YOUTUBE TO WATCH THE ABOVE VIDEO, SEARCH FOR "DROUGHT BEFORE AND AFTER" AND HAVE A LOOK AT WHAT SOME OF THE LOCALS OUT WEST, IN TEXAS, ETC, HAVE UPLOADED. IT HELPS TO HAVE VISUAL EVIDENCE, TO BE ABLE TO SEE THINGS FOR OURSELVES.

THE PROBLEM GROWING FOOD CAUSES
A LOT OF OUR FOODS COME FROM AREAS HARDEST HIT BY DROUGHT, SO IF FARMERS WANT TO KEEP FARMING THERE, THEY HAVE TO TAP INTO THE AQUIFER TO IRRIGATE.
NOT GOOD!
ONCE DEPLETED, ANCIENT AQUIFERS DON'T "COME BACK".
OTHER AQUIFERS DO, BUT NOT THE "FOSSIL AQUIFERS".

I THINK THAT'S ONE PROBLEM HERE AS FARMERS GROW A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF WHEAT, COTTON AND SOYBEANS AND HAD TO IRRIGATE CONSIDERABLY LAST YEAR.
IS THAT WHAT PULLED DOWN THE FLOW IN MY WELL?

OKLAHOMA HAS BEEN IN DEEP DROUGHT FOR FIVE YEARS NOW.
PEOPLE THERE WONDER IF THEY WILL SEE ANOTHER DUST BOWL EVENT.

TEXAS WAS CRITICAL FOR YEARS AND LOST MILLIONS IN CROPS.
ALSO AFFECTED IN TEXAS WERE THE MANY BEEF AND DAIRY CATTLE HERDS.
NOT ONLY WAS GROWING FEED FOR THE CATTLE DIFFICULT, WATERING THEM WAS SOMETIMES IMPOSSIBLE AND RANCHERS TOOK HEAVY LOSSES.

HORSE RANCHERS ALSO FACED HAVING TO SELL HERDS TO OUT-OF-STATE BUYERS AT DIRT-CHEAP PRICE.

TEXAN FRIENDS OF MINE DROVE AS FAR NORTH AS ILLINOIS TO BUY HAY AND GRAINS OR THEIR HERD,

MEGA-FARMS AND THE OWNERS OF LARGE CITRUS GROVES ALONG AND NORTH OF THE RIO GRANDE HOPED EACH DAY FOR RAIN.

Drought-ridden cornfield, Texas, 2013

OUR RIVERS ARE IN TROUBLE, BUT NOT JUST FROM DROUGHT.

THE COLORADO RIVER, MOST ENDANGERED RIVER IN THE U.S., WAS IN TROUBLE IN 1999 WHEN IT FACED A VERY DRY YEAR.

FROM ITS HEADWATERS TO ITS END, THE COLORADO IS INUNDATED WITH POLLUTION RANGING FROM TOXIC RUNOFF FROM URANIUM AND OTHER MINES ALONG ITS ROUTE TO AGRICULTURAL PESTICIDES AND HERBICIDES.

AT #2 ON THE MOST ENDANGERED LIST IS THE COLUMBIA RIVER.
THE SPRAWLING NUCLEAR WASTE DISPOSAL SITE, HANFORD, DUMPS INTO THE COLUMBIA AND HAS FOR OVER HALF A CENTURY.

ALTHOUGH AMERICAN INDIAN TRIBES HAVE COMPLAINED OF THE EFFECT OF NUCLEAR WASTE ON FOOD FISH AND THE HIGH LEVELS OF TOXINS AS A THREAT TO HUMANS, NOBODY CAN DO MUCH FOR THE COLUMBIA.

THE ANSWER THE GOVERNMENT GAVE WAS TO STOP SALMON AND TROUT RUNS FROM GOING TO BEDDING SITES.

DENIAL IS THE ORDER OF THE DAY, AS IS THE CASE WITH ALL OUR BODIES OF FRESH WATER THAT ARE IN TROUBLE.

HOW THE SAVANNAH RIVER MISSED THE ##1 SPOT IS A MYSTERY!
IF YOU'VE NOT BEEN WITHIN A MILE OF THE SAVANNAH, FEEL BLESSED!
IT IS ONE BAD BODY OF WHAT USED TO BE WATER!

AND "MJ" ALSO LAID IN THIS MAP, SHOWING RIVERS IN TROUBLE, WELL, SORT OF SHOWING...

ALSO, WONDER OF WONDERS, "MJ" GAVE US THE LIST OF THE 'TOP 20' POLLUTERS INTO THE SICK RIVERS!
PLESE REMEMBER THESE!

THEN CAME THE MOST INCREDIBLE LINE IN THAT 'ARTICLE'... "It's important to note that the vast majority—if not all—of these releases are perfectly legal."

"PERFECTLY LEGAL"...PERFECTLY LEGAL TO POISON A RIVER, A HUMAN, A FISH, EVERYTHING?
IT SURE IS!
THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT ALLOWS "X-NUMBER" OF TOXINS TO BE DUMPED INTO WHATEVER BIG COMPANIES FEEL LIKE DUMPING INTO...RIVERS, STREAMS, DITCHES, OCEANS, SURE, GO AHEAD!

"WE LOVE YOU, BIG BUSINESS! PLEASE, PLEASE POISON US!"

SO, YEAH, THEY DO.
AND WHEN IT'S EXCESSIVE, THEY JUST PAY FINES AND KEEP RIGHT ON DUMPING.

HOWEVER, WE, THE PEOPLE, ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DUMP ONE SPOONFUL OF TOXIC WASTE INTO SO MUCH AS A PUDDLE IN OUR BACK YARDS, WHICH IS AS IT SHOULD BE, CERTAINLY, BUT WHY THE HUGE DIFFERENCE IN LAWS AND ALLOWANCES FOR BIG BUSINESS VERSUS BIG (OR SMALL) FAMILIES, INDIVIDUALS?

KA-CHING!
YES, MONEY TALKS.
BUT ONLY MEGA-BUCKS.
YOU'D HAVE TO FORK OVER MORE THAN A FIVE-SPOT TO GET UNCLE SAM TO LOOK THE OTHER WAY WHILE YOU DUMP CRAP INTO A RIVER!

'GIVING THE DEVIL HIS DUES', "MJ" DID SAY, "We'll have to take their word for it, since the companies are not required to release the results of their chemical safety testing to the public, nor do they have to reveal how much of each chemical they are releasing. The Clean Water Act doesn't even apply to all bodies of water in the United States; exactly how big and important a waterway must be to qualify for protection has been the subject of much debate."

"MJ" WROTE:"The big problem," he says, "is that we don't know how big the problem is."

MOTHER JONES IS A HUGE MEDIA...CAN'T THEY SPEND A FEW BUCKS TO FIND OUT HOW BIG?
CAN'T SOMEONE?

THAT TAKES CARE, IN A VERY MINIMAL WAY, OF A LOOK AT THE PROBLEMS WE HAVE WITH RIVERS AND RESERVOIRS, STREAMS AND LAKES, SO ON TO GROUNDWATER.

HALF OF THE WATER WE DRINK COMES FROM THE GROUND.

Over 50% of the United States population depends on groundwater for drinking water. About 27 trillion gallons of groundwater are withdrawn for use in the U.S. each year.

A MAP OF OUR U.S. AQUIFER SYSTEM"BLUE GOLD"...OUR AQUIFERS ARE PRICELESS!THERE IS AN ABSOLUTE WEALTH OF INFO AT THE SITE THIS MAP WAS TAKEN FROM.JUST <CLICK HERE>.
HERE'S AN ILLUSTRATION OF WHAT ALL CAN GO WRONG WITH THAT WATER BEING PURE, AND I WISH IT WAS A LARGER ILLUSTRATION, BUT....

THERE ARE MANY, MANY THINGS THAT SEEP INTO THE GROUND AND COME IN CONTACT WITH OUR DRINKING WATER SOURCES.

MY CONCERN WHERE I LIVE IS THE MORE FREQUENT AERIAL SPRAYING SINCE LOCAL FARMS HAVE STARTED PLANTING MORE WHEAT, SOYBEANS AND COTTON.
WHILE THE SPRAY AREAS ARE A FEW MILES UP THE ROAD,THOSE PLANES OFTEN START RELEASING AT THE TOP OF A HILL WITHIN MY VIEW, AND NORTH WINDS FLOAT THAT CRAP DOWN ONTO US!

THEY ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO SPRAY ON HIGH-WIND DAYS!
BUTTHEY DO!

LAST YEAR WE HAD THE EPA COME OUT TO TRY TO DISCOVER WHY ALL THE LEAVES WERE FALLING OFF THESE TALL HARDWOODS IN JUNE AND JULY.
WHY GARDEN VEGETABLES WERE DYING, WHY WE SAW WAY TOO MANY DEAD FISH FLOATING ON THE OXBOW, WHY DRAGONFLIES AND CARPENTER BEES AND WASPS BODIES WERE LITTERING THE GROUND.

THEY CAME, TOOK PHOTOS, LEFT, END OF STORY.
THEY'LL "GET BACK TO YOU WHEN WE KNOW SOMETHING", THEY SAID...ALMOST A YEAR AGO, AND WITH MONTHLY PHONE CALLS TO REMIND THEM.

WE SHOWED THEM VIDEO OF THOSE LOW-FLYING PLANES SPRAYING ON DAYS WHEN THEY WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO.
WE SHOWED THEM THE COUNTS OF HOW MANY SUCH FLIGHTS A DAY WE SAW.

NOTHING.
"BIG MYSTERY, COULD BE THE PREVIOUS HARSH WINTER MAKING LEAVES FALL"...AND LIFE DIE, DUDES?

WHAT ABOUT THE FISH, INSECTS...AND, OH, BY THE WAY, OUR OUTSIDE DOMESTIC ANIMALS REJECT ANYTHING BUT FRESHLY DRAWN WATER, WON'T DRINK WHAT'S THERE, HAVE TO HAVE FRESH!

NOTHING.

OUR PRECIOUS GROUNDWATER IS GETTING A LOT OF CONTAMINANTS.
OUR FEDERALES ARE DOING AS CLOSE TO NOTHING ABOUT IT AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN.

INDUSTRY TRUMPS INDIVIDUALS, EVERY TIME, UNLESS SOME WHISTLEBLOWER SOMEHOW GETS WORD TO THE MEDIA (USUALLY FOREIGN PRESS PUSHES AMERICAN PRESS TO BREAK THE STORIES) AND WE SEE ONE OR TWO HEADLINES ABOUT PEOPLE SICK OR DYING FROM "LEGAL" POLLUTANTS, THEN IT'S BACK TO ENTERTAINING THE FLOCK, CALMING FOLKS BACK DOWN, COVERING UP WHAT'S IMPORTANT WITH DRIVEL...

MAYBE YOU AREN'T A RURAL AMERICAN, BUT EVEN CITY-DWELLERS HAVE DEEP WELLS AS SOURCES FOR DRINKING WATER.
THIS AFFECTS EVERYONE!

WHAT ALL IS "DOWN THERE"?

WHO KNOWS?
Gasoline, oil, road salts, pesticides, fertilizers, toxic waste from mining sites and nuclear facilities, from emissions from coal-burning plants settling on the ground and rain sending it into the soil, and even, in some instances where there is heavy industrial emissions, the rain itself is a polluter, waste from large farms, ranches, and chemicals from millions of "underground storage tanks", plus leaky landfills where things like discarded batteries (and their acids), paints, partially empty oil cans, cooking oils, a host of chemicals from "personal care items/toiletries...just to name a few.

BELOW IS A MAP WHERE NITRATES ARE A MAJOR POLLUTANT OF GROUNDWATER.

AND THE NEXT SHOWS THE ARSENIC HAZARD IN SOME AQUIFERS/WELLS.

NEXT MAP SHOWS AREAS OF HIGHER CHROMIUM LEVELS IN TAP WATER.

NO WAY CAN I BELIEVE THE STATES IN WHITE WERE PROPERLY TESTED...

It's a daily deluge of junk that is slowly (sometimes quickly) making its way down to where our underground supplies of water lie.

Some is accidental, but much is intentional, like the guy told 'Mother Jones'.

"Allowable" releases ..."acceptable levels"... even a class of junk called "unavoidable contaminants".
IT COULD BE AVOIDABLE, IF THEY AVOIDED DUMPING IT!

AS A NEW EMPLOYEE SPENDING PART OF MY DAYS IN A HOSPITAL TESTING LABORATORY JUST AFTER AIDS/HIV BECAME A MAJOR CONCERN HERE IN AMERICA, I NOTICED SOME OF THE STAFF HAPPILY POURING OUT TINY VIALS OF BLOOD/SERUM AFTER TESTING, RIGHT DOWN THE DRAIN IT WENT!
THE SAME WAS DONE TO "CLEAR" CONTAINERS HOLDING URINE, EVEN SPINAL FLUIDS!
WE HAD THREE AIDS PATIENTS IN-HOUSE!

I ABSOLUTELY RAN TO THE PHYSICIAN IN CHARGE AND ASKED IF EITHER THE HOSPITAL SEWER SYSTEM OR THE LOCAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY HAD SOME SORT OF SPECIAL FILTERS THAT COULD FILTER OUT VIRUSES...LIKE HIV.

HE INSINUATED THAT I KNEW LITTLE ABOUT VIRUSES, THAT THE AIDS/HIV NOR ANY OTHER VIRUS COULD SURVIVE A TRIP TO THE WATER TREATMENT FACILITY.

WE KNEW DAMNED LITTLE ABOUT HIV AT THAT TIME.
I DIDN'T CARE IF THEY SAID IT WAS DEAD IN 30 SECONDS AND 'HAPPY THOUGHTS' KILLED IT, SINCE THERE WERE NO LONG-TERM STUDIES BACK THEN, WHY TAKE THE RISK?
WE HAD BIOHAZARD CONTAINERS, DUMP IN THAT!

IT'S THAT MENTALITY THAT CAUSES PANDEMICS!
"WE'VE ALWAYS DONE IT THAT WAY" IS NO REASON TO CONTINUE WHEN A BETTER, SAFER WAY EXISTS!